First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio)
historic church in Woodsfield, Ohio, United States
The First United Methodist Church is located at 136 Main Street in Woodsfield, Ohio. The property was placed on the National Register on 2006-08-09.
History
The first Methodists recorded in Monroe County were reported in the early 19th century. The congregation met in an upstairs courtroom in a log courthouse that stood where the present brick courthouse is today. Needing more room, the Methodist Episcopal Church purchased a lot on Sycamore Street and constructed a simple wooden structure in 1825. This church was the first built in Woodsfield. The wooden structure was an 18 foot high, one story building with a central door framed by a window on either side, with three windows on the side facade. To the left of the church the congregation buried their dead in what is now called Pioneer Cemetery.
The congregation again grew to the point that the structure was no longer suitable. The church then purchased a lot on Main Street and constructed a red brick structure in 1834.
“First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio)” enters the record as historic church in Woodsfield, Ohio, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what First, United and Methodist can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, First, United and Methodist provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5454014. Authority coordinates are 39.764, -81.115. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2006, 1825 and 1834.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio) primary sources, First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio) archive and First research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio)”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “First United Methodist Church (Woodsfield, Ohio)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.